Folding chair



W. E. CLARIN Dec. 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet Dec. 24, 1929.

W. E. CLARIN FOLDING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 1928 fiz yerz/ar Z/erezrZK/arziz Mm uW/arwefl Patented Dec. 24, E929 EJNETED STATES PATENT @FFI-CE WERNER E. CLARIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BEACON STEEL FURNITURE (10., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR-PGRATIOH OF ILLINOIS FOLDING- CI-IAIR Application filed April 5,

This invention relates to a folding chair, more .particularly to a metal folding chair, and to the method of constructing and arranging the parts .of said chair so that they can be conveniently and quickly made and as sembled to provide the complete chair.

The main object of this invention is to provide such a folding chair in which the pivot elements and the connecting portions, whereby the legs are connected with the seat, are entirely covered and concealed, so that the garments can not be torn by these elements and portions while the chair is being used. Another object is to provide a durable and inexpensive chair which can be manufactured at a minimum of cost, and can consequently be marketed at a very reasonable price. A further object is to provide an improved method of manufacturing a folding chair whereby it can be readily con structed and its parts can be conveniently and quickly assembled. Still another object is to construct and arrange the metal seat frame so that it covers and conceals the pivotal con I nections between the seat and the short legs,

and to have a pivot rod extending through the seat and have itsends housed in the main legs, so as to prevent any tearing of garments on these connections between the seat and the legs. A still further object is to arrange the construction so that the seat with the short legs pivoted thereto can be readily assembled with the main legs having the back-rest thereon,by extending a pivot rod through the seat frame and housing its ends in the main legs While flexing apart said legs, and then extending a pivot rod through holes. in the intersecting parts of all legs and heading its ends, to fasten or look the parts of the chair together.

These objects and other objects and advantages are attained with my invention, as will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the chair open or unfolded;

' Fig. 2 is a side View of open chair,

1928. Serial No. 267,590.

showing in dot-and-dash lines the chair halfway closed;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational View of .the

chair folded, parts being broken away to illustrate the pivot rods;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlar ed vertical sectional view, taken on line 55 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view, taken on line 66 of Fig. 2.

The drawings illustrate the preferred form of construction which comprises a pair of main legs 10 and a pair of shorter legs 11 pivotally mounted therebetween. The main legs 10 are preferably formed from a length of tubing which is curved at the middle portion to provide the back-portion 10 of the chair along with said legs 10; and to this back-portion is welded or secured a plate or back-rest 12, which is curved centrally and is rolled at the exposed edges, as shown. The short legs 11 are preferably made of anglebars and are connected by an upper bracebar 13 with a catch finger 13 at its middle, and by a lower brace-bar 14.

The seat comprises metal frame means 15 and a seat board or member 16 mounted therein, and this frame means preferably includes a strip of sheet metal doubled ad jacent its longitudinal middle line and forming an outer depending flange 17, also providing horizontal flanges 18 and 18 to embrace the edges of the seat member 16 and hold it therebetween. Anend closer or strip 15 closes the back end of frame 15, embracing the back end of seat member 16, and has its end tongues 15 engaged in slots in the rear ends of frame means 15 and bent over at the rear of the strip, as shown. A depending bracket plate 19 is welded or secured to flange 18, inward of flange 17, adjacent the forward side-parts of the seat, as shown in the drawings.

The pivotal or swingable connecting means between legs 11 and the forward part of the seat I have arranged to be covered and concealed by depending flange l7, and this means comprises a pair of links 20, each of which has one end pivoted by an element or rivet 21 to the upper end of a leg 11, and has the other end pivoted to a plate 19 by an element or rivet 22, said pivot elements 21 and 22 and the connected ends of links 20 and of legs 11 being entirely covered and housed by said depending flanges 17 when the chair is open and in use, thereby positively preventing any tearing of garments on said connecting elements and connected ends.

The pivotal connecting means between the rear part of the seat and the main legs 10 comprises a pivot rod 23 which is extended through depending flange 17 of the seat frame 15 and has its ends inserted and housed in tubular legs 10, being inserted through holes at the inward sides of said legs by flexing the legs slightly apart. Legs 11 are provided with notches 24 to receive said re d 23 when the chair is folded, and the catch finger 13 projecting above bar 13 frictionally engages under and springs beyond the bottom edge of said rod to hold the chair folded or closed.

The two pairs of legs are pivotally connected by means of a pivot rod 25 which extends through said pairs of legs, preferably having a spacer 26 thereon between each leg 10 and leg 11, and said rod has its ends upset to form smoothly rounded heads 27 on the outward sides of legs 10. This rod 25 forms the last connected member or key-rod for completing the assembly of parts and holding the parts together in the completed chair.

It should be noted that this construction forms a swingable link connection between the upper ends of legs 11 and the forward part of the seat, and that the seat rests and is supported on the top ends of said legs, with its forward part, while the chair is open.

I have also developed an improved method of making and assembling this chair, and this method comprises the curving of a suitable length of tubing at its middle portion and welding a plate thereto to form the backrest 12 fixed to legs 10. In the mean time, the other legs 11 are made in pairs; and the seat is also constructed, by doubling a strip of sheet metal adjacent its longitudinal centerline and by bending it along its edges, to form the depenaing flange 17 and the horizontal flanges 18 and 18, then bending suitable lengths thereof into shape for the seat frame and placing the seat board therein and closing the end of the frame with the closer strip 15 by drawing and clamping over the end tongues 15"; meanwhile links 20 have been pivoted to legs 11 with elements 21 and to plates 19 with elements 22, and these plates are then welded to seat flanges 18, thereby pivotally and swingably connecting the upper ends of legs 11 to the forward part of the seat. Hereafter these two sets of members, legs 10 with the back-rest 12 thereon, and legs 11 with the seat linked thereto, are then conveniently and quickly assembled by placing rod 28 through holes in seat flange 17 and inserting its ends in tubular legs 10 by flexing them apart, then extending key-rod 25 through all of the legs and through spacers 26, and upsetting the rod ends forming smooth heads 27, thus fastening the parts permanently together toform the complete folding chair.

WVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a folding chair, a seat comprising an inner seat member and an outer metal frame member thereon which includes a bent metal strip having a doubled intermediate portion providing a depending flange, also having upper and lower inwardly extending portions providing horizontal flanges which clasp the edges of said seat member therein, and a closer strip having end tongues engaging in openings provided adjacent the rear corners of said frame member to draw the back part of said metal strip together and firmly close the frame member around the seat member.

2. A folding chair comprising a pair of main legs with the chair back-portion thereon, a second pair of legs and a seat, link and pivot means for swingably connecting the upper ends of the second pair of legs to the forward part of said seat, a pivot rod extending through the seat and having its ends movably engaged in the main legs and covered thereby, brace means connecting said second pair of legs and containing catch means to engage said rod and retain the chair closed, and a pivot rod extending through both pairs of legs for retaining them together, said parts being arranged to provide for convenient assembling thereof into the complete chair. I

3. A folding chair comprising two pairs of legs pivotally connected, a seat pivotally mounted with its rear portion between one pair of said legs, said seat having at its sides depending flange means doubled-over at the lower portion and having integral inwardly 1 extending horizontal flange means thereon, bracket means securedinwardly on said horizontal flange means, and a pair of links pivoted each at one end to the upper end of one of the second pair of said legs, and pivoted at its other end to one of said bracket means, between the latter and the doubledover flange portion, to permit resting the front part of said seat on the top ends of said second pair of legs and to cover and conceal said top ends of said legs and the connected links by said depending flange means.

4. A folding chair comprising a pair of tubular legs, a pair of short legs, a seat having depending flange means at'the outer edge, means for swingably connecting the upper ends of said short legs to the seat inward of said flange means to be covered and concealed thereby, a pivot rod extending through said flange means and having its W'ERNER E. CLARIN. 

